“ALL GLORY COMES FROM DARING TO BEGIN.”

  

—EUGENE F. WARE

if you’re familiar with the 2-Week Total Body Turnaround exercise program, you’re already on the road to total fitness. But being active is only one part of the healthy living equation. Your diet is just as important.

The foods you choose to eat can maximize your workouts; they can also help you lose weight faster, increase your energy, boost your metabolism, and improve your overall health. In fact, what you use as fuel during these 2 weeks will make a big difference in your overall results. If you pay close attention to what you put into your body, you’ll look and feel your best.

Eating your way to health is easy, but deciding what to eat, when to eat, and how to eat it can be more challenging. That’s why we lay out the basics of healthy eating for you, provide 160 balanced and delicious recipes, and have created an easy-to-follow and flexible 2-week meal plan. The 2-Week Turnaround Diet Cookbook is actually designed to mesh perfectly with the exercises you’ll be doing, so your body will be fully fueled for physical activity each and every day. This nutrient-dense diet is loaded with a wide variety of healthy and delicious foods to ensure that your body gets exactly what it needs to work at an optimum level. And when every system in your body is working at an optimum level, your metabolism and ability to lose weight improve significantly.

We’ll also provide tips and tricks to stay on the healthy eating track even after these 2 weeks are over, so you can form new habits that stick. Unlike other diets—I realize the word diet scares off many women!—this eating plan is designed for the long haul. It provides real opportunities to change, as you’ll be examining your current food habits and then laying the foundation for healthier ones. This is not some fad diet that will lead to only temporary weight loss; it’s a whole new way of eating. Once you get started, you’ll see —it really is that easy. You only need 2 weeks to form healthy eating habits that last a lifetime.

Eat Well

As you make your way through the 2-Week Turnaround Diet Cookbook, one word should come to mind: flexibility. This do-it-yourself eating plan allows you to decide what to eat, based on some simple guidelines. And the 160 easy-to-follow and mouthwatering recipes in this book are varied enough to fit everyone’s palette and budget.

This is a customized eating plan, which means you can mix and match the nutrient-packed food choices until you have a selection of menus that fit your tastes. For people who like structure, we provide suggested menus for the full 14 days. This includes three meals and two snacks a day. Each day of workouts from the 2-Week Total Body Turnaround book is accompanied by a set of meals in this book. Don’t like a recipe? No problem. You’re free to swap out recipes for ones you like better. I want you to enjoy what you’re eating; otherwise, it’s unlikely that you’ll stick to this eating plan for 2 weeks, much less a lifetime. Once you get the hang of how to combine the different food groups, you’ll quickly realize that the possibilities for healthy eating are endless. For those of you who want complete freedom when planning your meals, you can choose from the many recipes to create your own meal plan for each day of the exercise program. It’s really that simple.

Regardless of which recipes you pick, you’ll find that each one is nutrient dense, well balanced, and very satisfying. The recipes have been created to provide the nutrients necessary to maximize your health and your workouts. You’ll find a sensible mix of “good” carbohydrates, lean protein, and “good” fats, as well as foods that are high in fiber. This mix ensures stable blood-sugar and energy levels, and wards off cravings. Your goal is 1,600 calories a day, made up of carbs (about 45 percent of your daily calories), fat (about 25 percent), and protein (30 percent). You’ll eat three healthy meals (at about 400 calories each) and two satisfying snacks (about 200 calories each). Note: For men on this plan, the total calorie count is 2,000, with three healthy meals (still at about 400 calories) and two snacks (at about 400 calories). Just as important as sticking to this nutrient-dense, satisfying eating plan is making eating whole foods a habit. Healthy foods, as Chris calls them, are whole and minimally processed foods, such as whole grains (like brown rice, quinoa, and oats), fresh fruits and vegetables, low-fat or fat-free dairy, lean meats, poultry, and fish. Eliminating as many of the preservatives, additives, processed sugars, and general junk from your diet as possible will keep your body in top condition. So it’s time to clear your kitchen of any processed and junk foods, as none of them make the cut in this eating plan. Remember, this is a diet to stick to even after these 2 weeks are over, so start making a habit of replacing unhealthy food options with whole, healthful ones.

Eat Often

It’s not only vital to focus on what you eat, but also when you eat. You want to be consuming food at regular intervals—five times a day—so you never allow yourself to get too hungry. We leave the exact timing of your meals up to you, but you must eat a healthy breakfast, lunch, and dinner (plus two snacks) every day to maximize your workouts. The goal is to eat every 3 to 4 hours so your blood-sugar levels don’t dip too low. Once your glucose levels drop, cravings will kick in and suddenly anything in sight will start to look delicious.

Eating more often, on the other hand, may help you ward off cravings and lose weight. How? When you eat large meals with many hours in between, you train your metabolism to slow down. But having a small meal or snack every 3 to 4 hours keeps your metabolism going, so you burn more calories over the course of a day. Studies have also shown that people who snack between meals eat less at mealtime.1, 2 Eating more frequently may help keep you feeling full and encourage you to eat more earlier in the day, which gives you more time to burn off calories. Additionally, snacking seems to be associated with a lower risk of heart disease, due to lower levels of both total and “bad” LDL cholesterol.3

Ultimately, when you choose to eat your snacks is up to you. Some people prefer to have a snack midmorning and then again after lunch to hold them over until dinner; others want something late at night. (Though I usually recommend avoiding late-night snacking, as it often turns into latenight bingeing and dessert overdose.) If you really want snack time to be in sync with your workouts, though, some times are better than others. There are ways to coordinate your snacks (and even your meals) to make the most of your exercise routine.

Timing Is Everything

One of the best times for your snack is about an hour before you work out. Fueling up with a small, energy-boosting snack, as well as some fluids, before your workout will not only keep you from feeling hungry, it will also maintain your blood-sugar levels and fight off fatigue during exercise.4 However, if you’ve had a balanced meal within 2 hours of starting your workout, you shouldn’t need to snack beforehand.

If you want to further maximize the results of the exercise program, keep in mind that what you eat during the hour after your workout is particularly important for building muscle and replenishing energy sources. This period, known as the glycogen window, is when the muscles are better able to soak up nutrients and when glycogen (your stored form of energy) is replaced most efficiently. So try to have a muscle-building, protein-rich meal or snack during the hour after you work out as well.5 This may be especially true for women, who may need protein after resistance training.6 The snacks on this plan all contain dairy—and dairy foods are excellent sources of high-quality proteins. It’s important that you reach for a savory snack, such as White Bean Dip (page 217), to keep blood sugar consistent and prevent energy crashes. Check out Chapter 2 (page 14) for details on why dairy foods are great for losing weight.

REAL 2-WEEK TURNAROUND SUCCESS STORY

Teresa McDonald

2-WEEK RESULTS: 11 pounds, 10¾ inches lost

  

LIKE MANY longtime dieters, Teresa has tried pretty much every weight loss plan that has come into vogue. What she liked about the 2-Week Total Body Turnaround was the structure of the plan. “Everything was laid out for me—what I could eat, what exercises I needed to do, tips on staying motivated.” Having lost 37 pounds and 41 inches after 5 months of maintaining the program, she’s enjoying increased energy and healthy eating. “There’s definitely been a shift to my entire way of thinking,” she proclaims. “After just a couple of days, I found I wasn’t even craving junk food.” Instead, she found herself wanting fruits and vegetables.

Spend More Time Eating

Another part of the healthy eating puzzle, in addition to changing what and when you eat, is looking at how you eat. Getting rid of old food behaviors that stand between you and a healthier life is key. The unfortunate reality is that for most of us there are constant obstacles to staying on the healthy eating track, whether it’s fast food, meals on the go, binge eating, or overeating. I call these scenarios diet dilemmas. The challenges differ for each of us. For some people the dilemma is that pint of ice cream that calls their name when they’re feeling down. For others it’s having a hectic schedule that leaves little time to eat anything other than fast food. Some women beat themselves up for the slightest deviation from their diets or exercise plans, and then only unhealthy foods can provide consolation. Whether it’s a bad food habit or a barrier to healthy eating, these diet dilemmas are real and present themselves to many of us each and every day.

While each diet dilemma has its own solution, a vital part of healthy eating is being conscious or mindful of what you eat. This means paying attention to what you’re putting into your body and how it can impact your health and your waistline. The first step to mindful eating is to eat only when you’re actually physically hungry, instead of turning to food when you’re bored, stressed, sad, or when some other emotion hits. Not sure of the difference? There are some signs you can use to distinguish between physical hunger and emotional eating, stress eating, eating from boredom, or timed eating. Here are some differences between physical hunger and emotional hunger to keep in mind:

In addition to eating only when you’re truly hungry, there are many other ways to be mindful of what you eat. Eat slowly, for instance, so you’re actually tasting and enjoying what you eat, and stop eating when you’re full. Don’t eat on the go or in the car, and try to eat without any distractions (yes, this means not in front of the TV or the computer), as you’re more likely to eat mindlessly in these scenarios.

These pointers are just the tip of the iceberg. Throughout this book, we’ll present you with common diet pitfalls—from emotional eating to negative self-talk to handling food pushers—and then offer simple solutions to overcome these obstacles. Part of changing a harmful eating behavior is to understand why you do it and then how to get over it. By following these simple tips, you’ll be well on your way to changing how you eat and forming a lifetime of healthy eating behaviors.

The Food–Body Connection

Closely following this eating plan—from what you eat to how you eat it—will not only boost your health, it will also prime you to gain the greatest benefit from your 2-Week Total Body Turnaround workouts. You’ll feel better and see those pounds drop more quickly. Nothing works better to motivate you to stick to a plan for life than seeing fast results.

Here’s how this eating plan works hand in hand with the exercise plan to maximize results:

alt SPEEDS WEIGHT LOSS: You’ll see those pounds melt off faster when you follow this eating plan, as it contains just the right number of nutrient-dense calories—enough calories to provide energy for your workouts, but not enough to cause you to store fat. Losing weight boils down to a very simple equation: calories in versus calories out. It’s not about gimmicks or fads; it’s just basic arithmetic. If you burn more calories than you eat, then you lose weight. But if you eat more than you burn, you’ll gain weight. For instance, if you eat 1,600 calories—as in our eating plan—but burn 2,000, then you’ll start to see that waistline shrink. Essentially, you need to create an energy deficit to truly lose weight, and you can do this by eating fewer calories or increasing the number of calories you burn through physical activity. And between our eating and exercise plans, you’ll quickly burn calories.7 Also, because this eating plan contains 1,600 calories worth of nutrient-packed foods, instead of 1,600 calories worth of empty-calorie foods (like cookies, chips, or candy), you’re going to feel and look your best, and you’re going to feel fuller. In fact, you’ll never feel deprived or hungry on this plan because it includes about 25 grams of fiber per day—and fiber fills you up without adding calories. This can help you drop those pounds even faster.

alt INCREASES ENERGY: When you eat the right combination of foods, you’ll feel your energy levels soar. Each nutrient-dense recipe gives you more than enough fuel to complete the exercise plan each day. How? Our meals have the perfect balance of carbs, protein, and fat to keep your blood-sugar levels stable, which not only wards off fatigue but will boost your energy levels in a sustained way. Carbs are key to providing energy when you work out,8 so this meal plan is designed to maintain appropriate carbohydrate levels, with recipes that focus on nutrient-dense whole grains and fiber. If you also take advantage of snack timing (see page 3), having a snack 1 hour before your workout will further boost your energy levels while you exercise.

alt BOOSTS METABOLISM: This eating plan will boost your metabolism, which helps you lose weight in many different ways. By eating frequently, every 3 to 4 hours, you’ll maintain your metabolism so that you can burn calories over the course of the day. If you leave lots of time between your meals, you actually start to train your metabolism to slow down.9 Protein has also been shown to have a slight metabolism-boosting effect. Why? Because it takes our bodies about three times more energy—which means more burned calories—to digest protein than it does to digest carbs or fat.10 So to help raise your metabolism on this eating plan, 30 percent of your total daily calories will come from lean protein. The diet also focuses on fiber and on complex carbs, which have less of an impact on insulin levels and discourage the metabolism from slowing down. Throughout the book we will highlight other foods and minerals that can jump-start your metabolism, such as calcium, grapefruit, and green tea.

alt BUILDS MUSCLE: Protein is crucial for building and repairing muscle fibers. Since you will be spending the next 2 weeks toning and sculpting your muscles, you’ll want to make sure you have enough protein to let your muscles do their job. Not only that, but eating one of our nutrientdense snacks or meals during the hour after you work out will also help you build muscle. All of our snacks include a serving of dairy, and since dairy foods are great sources of high-quality protein, they provide what you need to build and repair your muscles.

REAL 2-WEEK TURNAROUND SUCCESS STORY

Laurie Champ

2-WEEK RESULTS: 9 pounds, 11 inches lost

“THIS PROGRAM has really been an amazing jump start for me. Seeing those results in such a short time really motivates you to keep moving forward.” Laurie has not only been thrilled with her weight loss, she’s also noticed significant gains in her energy levels and is sleeping better at night. The best part: She found that she wasn’t constantly thinking about food or feeling hungry. “In the past, by 10:00 a.m., I couldn’t wait for lunch. Now I feel more satisfied all day long.”

Get Ready

Now that you have an idea of what to expect over the next 2 weeks, you’re ready to dive in! In the next chapter, we’ll explore the specific foods you will—and won’t—find in the 2-Week Turnaround Diet Cookbook, and why these foods will boost your health and help you lose weight. We’ll give you all the tools you need to create your own delicious eating plan, which will complement the exercise plan. By the end of the 2 weeks, you’ll be an expert on healthy eating! 

Notes – CHAPTER!

1 T.R. Kirk and M.C. Cursiter, “Long-term snacking intervention did not lead to weight gain in free-living man,” Scandinavian Journal of Nutrition 2(1999):3-17.

2 H. Yates, N.E. Crombie, and T.R. Kirk, “Evidence of energy intake compensation at meals after snacking intervention—a pilot study,” International Journal on Obesity, 21(1997):S113.

3 “Is eating between meals good for our health?” European Food Information Council, www.eufic.org/article/en/page/RARCHIVE/expid/revieweating-between-meals-health (accessed on 9/23/09).

4 “Eating and exercise: Time it right to maximize your workout,” Mayo Clinic, www.mayoclinic.com/health/exercise/HQ00594_D (accessed on 9/23/09).

5 K.M. Zawadzki, B.B. Yaspelkis, and J.L. Ivy, “Carbohydrate-protein complex increases the rate of muscle glycogen storage after exercise,” Journal of Applied Physiology 72(1992):1854–1859.

6 “Eating and exercise: Time it right to maximize your workout,” Mayo Clinic, www.mayoclinic.com/health/exercise/HQ00594_D (accessed on 9/23/09).

7 “Metabolism and weight loss: How you burn calories,” Mayo Clinic, www. mayoclinic.com/health/metabolism/WT00006 (accessed on 9/24/09).

8 “Fatigue fighters—six quick ways to boost energy,” WebMD, http:// women.webmd.com/features/fatigue-fighters-six-quick-ways-boost-energy (accessed on 9/23/09).

9 “10 ways to boost your metabolism,” WebMD, www.webmd.com/diet/ slideshow-boost-your-metabolism (accessed on 9/23/09).

10 T.L. Halton and F.B. Hu, “The effects of high protein diets on thermogenesis, satiety, and weight loss: a critical review,” Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 23 no.5 (2004):373-385.